


Harsh Memories Can Be Eased With Soft Moments

by cjg



Series: Much Much Later [13]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: 3/5 Quarter Elves, Comfort, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, I just re-read the first part of my summary and went oppps, Implied/Reference to Temporary Character Death, Keyleth is in this but not much, Not like that could be misconstrued or anything..., This is well post marriage btw, fuck it I'm keeping it the way it is.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 10:06:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13479186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjg/pseuds/cjg
Summary: The one where Percy asks a question, and she's always had the answer ready, waiting for the question.OrThe one where the anniversary of Percy's first death has just past again and a question is asked and answered. Vex spirals into the memories of that horrid day and they acknowledge how much they personally could have lost. Ever the devoted husband, Percy finds a reason to thank his wife for something.





	Harsh Memories Can Be Eased With Soft Moments

“It’s been so long now, but I still remember it so vividly," she says reaching to run a finger over the partially visible scar just below his collarbone that’s just peaking out of his mostly buttoned shirt.

They’re bundled up in a blanket each with another one covering their knees, sitting in the large armchair that for the moment faces the large window in the library. Resting her head on his right shoulder, she'd been watching the magically summoned snow fall slowly outside because it's possibly the last snow of the season. He’s been pretending to read, just enjoying the closeness and every so often kissing her forehead.

He shifts to look at her now, knowing instantly what she's talking about, the anniversary of that terrible day was yesterday, and neither of them acknowledged it, they never do. But they do sometimes talk about it today, the day he returned.

Putting his book down on the side table, he takes her hand from his chest and kisses it, brings it down to rest in their laps and looks at her with a small smile on his face.

He considers something for a while before shifting in the chair, so he’s facing her more then he asks, “I know you all killed her together but who do you think actually did it?”

It’s a mild shock that he’s finally asked. He's never seemed to even think about it before. It’s knowledge she’s been keeping for years, she’s always had the answer.

“Vex?” he asks his tone concerned, she must have made a face.

Tilting her head to better study his expression, she says quietly, “It was me, a tree grew through her body, that only happens…”

“When Fenthras makes the killing blow,” he says, finishing her thought with her, struck by what it means.

An unsettling silence fills the room and just before she breaks the tension herself he asks, “How did you do it?”

“I left two arrows in her,” she lets out a heavy breath before showing him where, starting with her mouth then going down to her heart, she points at them with two fingers of her left hand saying, “one here and here, as everyone else tore her to pieces,”

She brings her left hand the rest of the way down and holds his hand with both of hers, every so often squeezing it gently. After a minute he untangles his hand from hers and brings it up to cup her cheek, just giving her comfort before he asks, “What is it?”

Quietly sighing a little at the question and leaning into his hand more. She can’t even describe what's on her mind, but she tries, searching for the most honest words. She’s replaying the moments back on that cursed island, crying with Keyleth over his broken body, even though he’s solid and real next to her, and she holds on to that, that connection.

Looking at him as he nods with understanding, his eyes soft, he's realized what she’s trying to say. Wrapping his arms around her, he shifts her closer, so the side of her head lays on his chest allowing her to feel and hear his steady heartbeat, it brings her back to the present. Overwhelmed by it, her voice, tight with emotion, cracks as she says, “I thought I'd lost you. They almost took this from us, nearly kept them from us.”

“I know love, but they didn’t. I heard you call me back and I’m here because of it,” he says as he holds her beside him, more loosely than before.

She moves her head off his chest to see the warm expression in his eyes. “We’re here and most importantly, they’re safe,” he whispers, looking not at her anymore but out the window. Loosening a hand, he points them out.

Turning to look, she sees now in the middle of the magically summoned snow, that they’ve moved from the front yard to the back. Elaina rides on Trinket while he runs from one side of the yard to the other never sinking into the snow. Then there’s Keyleth, holding a hand of each twin, showing them both how to magically walk on top of the large snow banks.

They watch for a while, long enough to see one of the twins, bundled up so much it’s hard to tell them apart right now, desperately trying to figure out a way to fall through the snow by digging out a hole. Then the other twin starts to help them until Keyleth must drop the spell and they both sink into the heap of snow, only their heads visible. Trinket or Elaina must notice because they head over to where the twins are, just to have them rise out of it once they reach them, Keyleth must have cast the spell on the twins again.

She can feel his laughter in his body before it is even audible, gods it is such an excellent sound though. Pulling her attention away from the window, it only takes a moment for her to turn and draw him in closer to her. He gets the idea of what she wants and stops moving as she guides him into the kiss, it’s a soft thing, warm and effortless, so much so, that if necessary it could go on forever.

Besides the occasional pause to catch their breath, they don’t truly part for a while, and even then it’s only because a snowball hit the side of the house two rooms away. “We should get out there husband,” she says against his lips.

“Trinket and Keyleth can watch them for now, what do you say to a few more minutes wife?” he says as he draws back a little, away from her now to look at her face.

A hand placed on the side of her hip over the blanket clues her into his intentions, the slow inch of it up and over her thigh makes it clear. He shifts toward her again and says, “Let me start to thank you for what you’ve done for me properly.”

Then a tiny kiss right under her ear, then another, continuing until she laughs. Oh, she understands what he wants. “Acts of great service…” she begins to say before he finishes the thought with her.

“Can be exchanged for many orgasms, yes exactly,” he says it for her softly into her ear, “Enforcement of this tradition of ours is important to me my lady as you know,” he says with a grin.

“It’s been years since I killed her though,” she says, not opposed to the idea at all, just wondering what is going through his mind.

“Time passing doesn’t diminish my gratitude or my desire to show you my appreciation,” he says before getting off the chair still wrapped up in a blanket. Then he starts to try and rotate the armchair back around, so it’s facing the doorway like it usually is. The ridiculous man is trying to move it with her still in it.

He does manage it after about a minute. So pleased that he didn’t need to make her move to do so.

Both hands still on the arms of the chair, he’s leaning over her now, distracted, breathing mildly heavily with the exertion it took to move the chair.

Reaching to cup one side of his face in her hand gently, making a decision. His pulse flutters against her fingers and isn’t that a magnificent thing she thinks as she runs her thumb back and forth along his warm lips.

She says finally, indicating the door that’s just past his shoulder, “Lock the door first, before we have guests.”

**Author's Note:**

> Keyleth has cast Water Walk on everyone outside and that would totally be a fun spell to entertain children with. 
> 
> I'm waiting to see if we ever get any of the other names for the Quarter Elves from Taliesin and/or Laura before naming anyone else.
> 
> Comments and Kudos appreciated.


End file.
